Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on July 26, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
Add as preferred source on GooglePope Leo met with a Russian Orthodox leader to discuss the Ukraine conflict, aiming to ease church tensions and promote peace.
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) -Pope Leo discussed the war in Ukraine on Saturday with Metropolitan Anthony, a senior cleric in the Russian Orthodox Church, in a possible effort to ease ties between the churches strained by Russia's invasion.
Leo saw Anthony, chairman of the department of external church relations, and five other high-profile clerics during an audience in the morning, the Vatican said.
"During the conversation, numerous issues were raised concerning the state of Orthodox-Catholic dialogue, as well as the ongoing conflicts in the world, including in Ukraine and the Middle East," the Russian Orthodox Church said in a statement.
Since assuming the papacy in May, Leo has repeatedly appealed for peace in global conflicts and this month told visiting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that the Vatican was willing to host Russia-Ukraine peace talks.
Russian officials, however, have said they do not view the Vatican as a serious venue for talks because it is surrounded by NATO member Italy which has supported Ukraine.
The head of Russia's Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, has been an enthusiastic backer of the invasion of Ukraine.
The Russian church statement said that Kirill's congratulations were conveyed to Leo for his election as pope.
"Pope Leo XIV expressed his gratitude to his holiness patriarch Kirill for his good wishes and noted the importance of developing relations with the Russian Orthodox Church," it added.
(Reporting by Sara Rossi and Fylyp Lebediev, Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
The conversation addressed various issues regarding Orthodox-Catholic dialogue and ongoing conflicts, including the situation in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Russian officials have expressed skepticism about the Vatican being a serious venue for negotiations, citing its location within NATO member Italy, which supports Ukraine.
Since his election in May, Pope Leo has consistently called for peace in global conflicts and expressed willingness to host discussions between Russia and Ukraine.
Patriarch Kirill conveyed his congratulations to Pope Leo for his election and emphasized the importance of developing relations with the Russian Orthodox Church.
The head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, has been a strong supporter of the invasion of Ukraine.
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